Chapter 126

Since ancient times, meat boiled or steamed in alcohol could not be anything but delicious.

“The sharp aroma of the alcohol erases the gamey smell of the meat, and the gentle heat softens its tough texture.”

And there was just the right ingredient for it.

“So….”

Candy Trap Tree

A tree with a base swollen like a round candy.

It is monoecious, with its leaves on the outside, but its fruit grows inside the swollen trunk. If the fruit of the Candy Trap Tree, which has a strong sweet and bitter taste, is not removed in time, it begins to rot inside.

Depending on various conditions, this fruit mixes with the tree's sap to become vinegar, juice, or fruit wine.

“Yes, this.”

Jio took a small ceramic pot from the basket held in Dana’s mouth.

After Dana, who had run an errand to the ice storage, spat out the basket with a ‘ptui,’ Argio placed a piece of the Golden Step Sheep’s flesh in its mouth.

The omnivorous cat that wasn’t a picky eater did not refuse even raw meat.

Unlike a typical cat, the Anticat Dana, with its teeth packed in a single row, soundly enjoyed the piece of flesh.

“Mrow?”

“What a good kitty.”

It’s been growing so much day by day lately, I hope it eats a lot and grows to be as big as a pig. Then I'd have to give it five raspberries on the belly instead of one. Jio was pleased.

“The great thing about this Candy Trap Tree is that the degree of fermentation is different for each tree. Maybe that's why the taste is slightly different too. This one… the tree's aroma is definitely strong.”

The unique weightiness of the alcohol that made the tongue tingle upon contact was intense, and the characteristically bitter taste of the plant felt as if it were rolling around in the mouth. Combined with the aroma of the Candy Trap Tree itself, it even gave off a somewhat smoky feeling.

As expected, this alcohol was delicious even when drunk on its own.

So much so that I thought people who enjoyed their drink wouldn't be able to understand using it for cooking at all.

“There wasn’t any naturally made alcohol even in the Abilas Rainforest.”

“…….”

“Honey, would you like to have a taste?”

“Gurgle.”

“It’s good to see that all my children eat so well. They’ll grow up big and strong.”

Jio was about to pour the fruit wine into a small dish, but Honey paid no mind and squeezed its way into the narrow opening of the ceramic pot.

As I just watched to see how far it would go, Honey’s squishy face popped out with a ‘pop’ not long after.

“…….”

“…….”

The water bird, perched lightly on the opening, tilted its head.

“Coo?”

“Oh dear.”

“…Coo, coo, coo….”

“It seems it didn’t taste good, right?”

“Gurgle.”

“They say alcohol is not for everyone. It might have been too soon for a child.”

“Coo….”

“Do you want to try enjoying it?”

Argio, who enjoyed alcohol as much as a bloody battle, gladly offered his advice.

“There are several ways to enjoy fruit wine. You can hold it in your mouth and feel its weight and texture, analyze the plant's unique astringency, or appreciate the fragrance the fruit itself holds, or the aroma that follows.”

“Gurgle.”

“It will be difficult for a young child like you to enjoy alcohol yet. As for me, I've kept alcohol close since I was young because I particularly enjoyed this kind of texture and aroma, but if it really doesn't suit you, there's always the option of using it in cooking. And as it happens, we’ve hit the jackpot with the perfect alcohol.”

Whether it was the choice of a cat with a sensitive sense of smell, or if it had simply brought the most visible one.

Among the fruit wines he had collected whenever he was bored, Dana had brought the one that paired best with meat.

“If it were ordinary alcohol, its aroma and taste would almost completely disappear in the cooking process, but the alcohol from here has a special quality, so that won’t happen. The steamed meat I’m making this time will be quite delicious.”

It was Jio who had always found it a pity that when he cooked with alcohol, its taste and aroma would almost completely vanish in the process of boiling and stir-frying.

But the things from this forest did not disappear so easily.

“It’s what you would call strong in life force, I suppose.”

“Gurgle?”

“Yes, just like you.”

Jio, who had been kneading his son sitting on his shoulder as if stroking him, finally turned to look at the teddy bear.

“So….”

“…….”

“Why is our father keeping such a distance?”

“Groan….”

“Is your new son that unfamiliar to you?”

Jio’s hair, which had been a deep red like wine, faded and soon became platinum blond.

“How about now?”

“…Mmph.”

“Yes, I am the same person. Nothing is different at all.”

“Rumble, rumble, rumble.”

The traditional god who once ruled a dimension smiled and clapped.

It wasn't exactly a situation that called for applause, but there was no one here to point that out.

Giovanni smiled, gave his father a hug, and then stood up again.

“Hmm.”

His hair turned back to a deep red.

“But if this is the case, I’m worried about the reaction of our mermaid siblings.”

“Groan?”

“That’s right, it’s about time for those children to arrive as well. My, my….”

Argio smiled.

“This will be fun.”

It was going to be a very enjoyable meal.

***

“…….”

“Our princess has arrived.”

“Damn it.”

The mermaid princess Aria poked her own two eyes.

“An impurity has been added to my Jio.”

Aria whined, shedding red blood from her eyes.

It looked just like a crying child, which made Argio burst out laughing.

He led Aria, who had not come down from the second floor, to the dining table and said playfully.

“Wouldn’t calling it an impurity hurt this teacher’s feelings so very much?”

“How did the personality of a man who isn’t even like Giovanni get in here? Weren’t we only gathering ‘Jios’ of a similar nature?”

“My, my student. My disciple. Why can’t you see that in the end, we are all the same Jio.”

“I am aware.”

Aria, who had already recovered her eyeballs, clicked her tongue and looked at Argio’s vivid golden eyes.

They were less reminiscent of a peaceful sea under the sunlight, and more of a cold lump of gold, stained with blood.

Nevertheless, within those eyes was a familiar affection. It was a love that could never be forgotten, never mistaken.

“…That gaze cannot be imitated.”

“How honest of you.”

“I know that you too are, in the end, my teacher.”

That was not a lie.

“And it’s not as if I didn’t expect this would happen someday.”

The ‘Jios’ of this portrait were all different.

In fact, even just between ‘Seo Jio’ and ‘Giovanni’, many things were different.

For one, their ages were different, and though hidden by clothes, their physiques were different too.

The structure and color of their bones were different, and even the expressions they could make and the variety of them were different.

So, it wasn't strange for a new, bright red Jio to be added now.

To that, her esteemed teacher asked.

“In that case?”

“…….”

Before sitting at the table, Aria carefully took Giovanni’s hand, which had escorted her.

“Jio.”

It was a soft voice.

“I wish to have a meal with you.”

“…I feel the same way.”

Giovanni also gave his usual smile.

“I came up with a pretty decent recipe this time, and I wanted to show it off, you see.”

“Then just show off the recipe, why were you making a face like that?”

“It seems you don’t like Argio’s face. I felt I had to explain….”

“…Haa….”

Aria, who was quietly gazing at the awkwardly smiling Giovanni, let out a small sigh and said.

“You can explain it well enough with words.”

“But is there any explanation more certain than showing you?”

“You have a truly shameless side to you.”

Only then did Aria sit in the seat Jio had guided her to.

“Is this the new thing you made?”

“It is. The aroma is quite nice, isn’t it?”

“I can faintly smell alcohol, it seems like it will be a delicacy.”

“I believe it won’t be bad.”

Jio, who had returned to having black hair, sat opposite her.

As if it were familiar, Honey and Dana climbed onto the table, and the teddy bear containing the sun god also took its seat in its own chair.

And….

“…….”

Aria looked around.

“What are those water birds?”

“They are just watching to see if they might get something to take with them.”

“Why would they get something to take?”

“I believe it’s because of the children who took the golden fur, a byproduct of the sheep, earlier.”

“Golden fur?”

“It’s the hide produced by the meat that is now placed in front of Aria.”

“Aha….”

Aria nodded her head as she looked at the water birds by the window, watching them with sparkling eyes.

“Now there are even golden sheep, all sorts of strange things are happening.”

“There were no such beings in our hometown.”

“If there had been, we could have diverted the humans’ attention to them.”

“It was a fur beautiful enough that an ordinary person would not be able to overcome their greed.”

“So it would be best not to take it outside. Well, that is also my own extremely personal greed.”

The mermaid still could not trust humans.

“I worry because my teacher lacks a sense of caution in strange areas.”

“Aria, you have truly grown into a splendid adult.”

Jio admired the sight of his disciple taking care of him.

Even while being the black-haired Seo Jio, he naturally wore Giovanni's smile.

It was thanks to being completely synchronized.

“You used to be really prickly and hot-tempered.”

“Oh… just how long ago are you trying to talk about?”

But even Aria acknowledged that part.

“I know that I had many shortcomings back then.”

Aria, just born into the world, had a sensitive and prickly side.

She suspected everything that approached, found it difficult to acknowledge anyone, and felt annoyance and disgust towards everything that hindered her.

“Compared to those childhood days, I’ve softened a lot, too.”

“To be honest, I think it’s not that much different now either.”

“Ha, it’s only because I’m in front of my teacher that I can be comfortable.”

“Such a touching thing to say all of a sudden?”

“It wasn’t necessarily said to touch your heart, though.”

Aria didn’t even look at the meal and just fiddled with the water-filled glass.

“Before whom could I be so honest? I couldn't even be like this in front of my own brother, Iseur, because I was the one who had to lead him.”

“…….”

“I’ve become quite seasoned. I’ve become skilled, and regardless of my likes and dislikes, I’ve learned to smile in front of any subject. Just as my teacher told me, this was a great help in interacting with others.”

She looked at Jio with her pearl-colored eyes.

“Is this a ‘growth’ that pleases you?”

“It could be, or it could not be. It’s also not important whether it pleases me.”

“You’re still such a vague person.”

As Aria feigned a sigh, Jio chuckled softly.

It was a small, gentle laugh directed at his cute student.

“So, are you not planning to eat?”

“Thinking that this is a meal made by some unknown scoundrel, my stomach twists on its own.”

“That unknown scoundrel could be your teacher, you know.”

“It’s because it’s definitely my teacher that it becomes even stranger. In just a moment like this….”

It felt really strange.

“…….”

But it was just that she wasn’t used to it; it wasn’t to the point where she wanted to reject it.

“…As I said before, the aroma is good, at least.”

“It’s thanks to the aroma of the new alcohol I used this time remaining intact.”

“The meat is very tender.”

“I boiled it once, then grilled it, and then steamed it before adding the sauce.”

“I don’t know how cooking can be so troublesome.”

And it was a dish as delicious as it was troublesome.

“You said you added the sauce separately, so is it a little different from making a stew?”

“It will definitely be different, doesn’t it allow you to feel the taste of the meat better?”

“You said it was the flesh of a golden sheep, right? Yes, it’s a great delicacy.”

The flesh, dark black as if coated in squid ink, cut softly when chewed and yielded its grain obediently when torn.

But its unique bouncy, soft texture added a chewiness, making it enjoyable to eat.

Especially, the aroma coming from the meat itself was very impressive.

The sharp scent that rose up along the tongue was similar to spices like garlic or onion.

The greasy flavor and savoriness of the meat from its juices were beyond words.

“Strangely, when I'm with my teacher, I feel like I've become a gourmet without any intention to.”

“I will take that as a compliment.”

“It makes me think about the food while I eat.”

“So it was a compliment after all.”

“There’s no one like you, Jio, when it comes to thinking as you please.”

The sauce was quite good too.

“My tongue is a little tingly.”

“I didn't add any spicy spices, but it’s probably because the alcohol I used this time was strong.”

“Doesn’t all the alcohol usually evaporate during the cooking process?”

“The alcohol itself is mostly gone, but wouldn't it be the effect of the aroma itself remaining intact.”

“To be this strong with just the aroma, I can’t understand it.”

“Mermaids are especially bad with strong stimuli, after all.”

“No….”

Aria muttered inwardly.

‘Isn’t it a miracle in itself that someone of my level can feel it like this.’

Aria had accumulated power to the point of being close to an evil god.

There was no way that Aria, who had ‘grown’ over a long period of time, would be the same as an ordinary mermaid.

And yet, to be able to enjoy Jio’s cooking as if she had become an ordinary person like this.

‘Did he vary the cooking to match my class?’

Or.

‘Can just anyone enjoy Jio’s cooking as he intends?’

Aria thought it was probably the latter. Hadn't Jio made even the sun god, who had no appetite at all, wait for his cooking? It was truly a strangely amazing ability.

He had done so simply because he wanted to share his food with everyone.

Regardless of whether the other party was a monster that had surpassed the limits of a mermaid, or a teddy bear that was once tasteless because it was a god.

“…….”

Aria asked.

“…Is there no bread to go with it?”

“I have some that I made in advance, would you like some?”

“The sauce is quite delicious, so I’d like to dip some in it.”

“Then I will bake it for you right away.”

Jio got up from his seat and put the bread he had already baked into the stone oven.

A golden water bird, as if it also wanted something to eat, flew and sat on the black cape’s shoulder.

The water birds that had been sitting by the window also drew near, fluttering and splashing, and a large human hand stroked its small children.

“Yes, the baking aroma is nice, isn’t it?”

“Gurgle.”

“Let’s wait just a little longer.”

The sound of the firewood crackling as it burned, the aroma of the already-baked bread becoming even more golden-brown, the warmth spreading from it, and the clattering sound of the teddy bear’s utensils….

“…….”

Aria perceived all of it.

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